Studio Apartments & Dark Decor: How to Make a Small Space Dark & Moody (without feeling cramped!)
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If you live in a studio apartment, you might be operating under the belief that a moody dark decor style is off the table for you. But just because your studio is small doesn’t mean you can’t pull off a dark interior style!
So in this post, I’m giving you some tips on making your studio apartment decor (or really any kind of small space) feel like a dark and dreamy oasis, rather than... a dungeon. Unless you’re into that. 😉
And with each tip, I’m sharing examples of real life studios that embody what I’m talking about, so by the end of this you’ll realize that living in a studio apartment doesn’t mean you’re required to do the bright and airy thing we see everywhere in order to make it look beautiful!
Would you rather watch than read? Here’s the video! ↓
1. Commitment Issues
A key thing about dark decor (and really any interior style) is you have to commit. You really have to go all the way with your styling choices, instead of half-assing them.
And I get why half-assing decor choices in a small space might feel more intuitive than being bold. When you're working with limited square footage, your first instinct might be to dial it back. And don’t get me wrong; with some decor choices in this style, a lighter touch is the right way to go. But don't confuse a light touch with half-assing things.
If you make styling choices from a place of insecurity and fear, your hesitation will show. It's a recipe for your apartment decor to end up looking underwhelming. And dark decor is anything but underwhelming. It is an inherently dramatic style, so be a drama queen about it!
And this is not to say to make big, bold dramatic choices just for the sake of it. What I'm saying is to not let the smallness of your studio dictate how dramatic you can be. Because if you wanted to, you could probably paint every wall and ceiling black, and guess what? It would probably look good. Honestly.
At the end of the day, styling choices made from a place of conviction rather than fear will only help you make your small space feel more expansive. It's not darkness that will make your studio feel small, it's half-assed decor decisions that will make it feel small.
Don't make yourself small just because your space is.
And a good example of this kind of commitment is this studio featured in Apartment Therapy:
This studio is really going for it with a full-blown gallery wall, dark paint, wallpaper… this place is just dripping with dark decor personality!
And frankly, all the stuff it has going on doesn't make the space look any smaller than it would with any other style. Now, a case could be made that it looks a bit cluttered and maybe even a little messy, but that aspect doesn't have anything to do with the dark aesthetic in here. If anything, it's more of an untamed maximalism that's giving a little bit of a cluttered look. Not darkness.
And one thing you definitely can't say about this space is that its styling was half-assed. This is some full-assed styling.
And whether you like it or not, this person allowed themselves to truly fill their space. They didn't make themselves small for it. And that's what I want you to take away from this example.
If you love the dark decor style and you really want to have it at its fullest in your studio, then you have to commit!
2. The Rainbow of Darkness
Next, I want to remind you that darkness doesn't have to mean black. There's an entire rainbow of darkness to play with here! Dark forest green, charcoal gray, plum, or even a deep mustard… These colors each offer a different mood and energy.
For example, a dark grounded green can make your space feel earthy and lush like a forest at dusk, while a soft charcoal can feel like a lake on a cloudy day. And a dusty lavender or plum can practically wrap your studio in a warm, velvety hug. The beauty of these darker shades outside of black is that they can bring a lot of warmth and dimension to a room. And just like that, your studio feels like a cozy sanctuary rather than a gloomy cave.
My point here is to remind you that other shades in the dark spectrum exist. You can build a palette that feels warm, inviting, and multi-dimensional while still conveying a moody aesthetic.
This studio apartment is a nice example of this:
Notice how there is hardly any black in here at all, yet this is an undeniably dark and moody space. It all comes down to a pretty masterful use of dark and muted colors, like the dusty pink in the wallpaper and dresser, the plum bedspread, and even the light bluish gray paint on the walls. Even though that paint color isn't dark, it still conveys a moody vibe.
This just goes to show that there are so many ways to do this style that have nothing to do with black.
Also, notice how she's made bold, dramatic decor choices in her little studio. Does this make her space look smaller? Nope. She committed to a vision and didn't half-ass it, and it's only benefiting her studio, not taking away from it.
3. Dark, Interrupted
Now, when playing with the rainbow of darkness, another thing to keep in mind is, well, the normal rainbow.
Interrupting your dark decor with moments of contrast like a pop of bright color or even white can actually enhance the overall mood and make your styling feel more dynamic. Contrast adds depth and dimension; two things that a studio apartment (or any kind of small space) can always use more of!
Without contrast, a dark decor room can look like everything's just sort of blending together. Kind of like if you were watching a movie shot entirely at night outside with no stars or street lights; everything would just get lost in the dark and there wouldn’t be much to watch.
But when you interrupt that darkness with little bursts of light, you create focal points that give the eye a place to rest, and they simply help tell the story more clearly. These moments of contrast can add visual depth and make the darker elements feel more intentional.
Think about contrasty decor pieces like punctuation marks in the overall sentence that is your studio. They don't overwhelm the main idea, but they help it make sense and keep it interesting.
Like with this studio apartment, you can see that the overall moody vibe is punctuated with quite a bit of white:
In this particular case, the black walls are doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the dark decor look here. But even beyond that, there's plenty of moody drama conveyed through their choices of wall art, lighting, and accessories. But the role that white plays in this studio is undeniable. Does it take away from the moodiness of the space? No. If anything, it heightens it and adds dimension to it.
This space is dramatic, yet it has an effortless simplicity about it. Now, that effortlessness was probably created with a lot of effort and skill on this person's part, so don't think I'm saying that creating a space like this is easy. But there is a certain no-muss-no-fuss elegance to this studio. And the white interrupting the dark throughout the space definitely contributes to that elegance.
So when decorating your studio (or small apartment of any kind) in a dark decor style, think about how you can interrupt the darkness with some little contrasty decor moments, and you'll find that it adds dimension and depth!
4. Beyond Color
Now, I’ve been talking a lot about color in this post (with which makes sense), but a dark and moody aesthetic can be accomplished through so much more than just dark colors.
Because beyond color, this look can be achieved through things like subject matter, atmosphere, and the overall intangible vibe of your space.
For example, imagine a piece of artwork that's mostly in light tones - maybe cream, beige, or white - but the subject matter is emotionally heavy. Like a painting of a stormy seascape, a portrait with a melancholic gaze, or an abstract piece that feels maybe unsettling or introspective.
These types of pieces convey mood and darkness through emotion and narrative, not just color. Even though the palette might be light, the energy of the pieces contribute to that moody, atmospheric feeling. The sense that there's more going on beneath the surface can create depth and intrigue in your studio.
That's really the essence of dark decor; it's not necessarily just about what things look like, but what they feel like. It's a very emotional style.
And this makes this look very attainable for apartment dwellers, because without even touching a drop of paint we can still evoke this style in smaller, more flexible ways through subject matter.
This studio apartment is a great example of using subject matter to convey a dark style:
Aside from bold, beautiful wallpaper choices, this studio conveys a dark, moody vibe in ways that have nothing to do with color, especially with her wall art. Sure, her art pieces are definitely dark in color, but I would say their mood comes through their subject matter. They convey a sense of melancholy or yearning, while also giving a dark academia feel.
And the lighting piece she chose for above her bed gives off a spooky, haunted look. The subject matter of twisty, barren branches give off that mood.
So all in all, remember that this look goes a lot deeper than just colors!
5. The Power of Accessories
If I haven't made this clear already, I firmly believe that you can create a dark, moody style in a studio apartment without touching a drop of paint.
Because let's be real for a second; painting your walls black… is a lot. Your landlord might not be thrilled with the idea of painting your walls black.
And even if your landlord does allow it, painting even a single wall black in an apartment is an exhausting task. I know this from experience. But luckily, I also know from my own studio apartment experience that accessories really can do the heavy lifting to achieve this look.
Think of things like throw pillows, blankets, wall art, and decorative objects. These smaller decor pieces are small but mighty, and capable of completely transforming the look of your space with minimal effort. They’re renter friendly, and you can switch them out easily if you want to update your look or change things up seasonally.
Wall art is a particularly powerful way to bring in a dark aesthetic, as we saw with the last studio I mentioned. And the best part is wall art is temporary, movable, and usually landlord friendly… depending on how big of an asshole your landlord is. 🙃
